"Production is set to begin next month for the screens, which measure at least 4 inches diagonally compared with 3.5 inches on the iPhone 4S, the latest phone from Apple, the people said." Cue the usual suspects twisting and turning to change the very fabric of space-time so that instead of 3.5" being the optimal size, 4.0" will be the optimal size. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

I find people make excuses for their weapon of choice, so yeah, the guys that claimed the iPhone was the right size might make an about face, but then, doesn't everyone?

Personally, I think the Android phones in question are too big. I think the iPhone 4 I have is too heavy.

As a poster has already said, the phone itself may not actually get that much bigger, if at all. You have to remember that we are dealing with Apple here, not Samsung or what have you. The chances of them finding a way to get a bigger screen whilst keeping the form the same size isn't beyond them. Personally I don't care, I love the form of the iPhone now, just not the weight of it... My preference for a phone would be the same form as the iPod Touch. Lighter, slimmer and feels better.

I find people make excuses for their weapon of choice, so yeah, the guys that claimed the iPhone was the right size might make an about face, but then, doesn't everyone?

Everyone makes an about face. But Apple apologists will say they never doubted users wanted bigger screens all along. They will conveniently forget their conspiracy theories and assume that it was the secret Apple master plan all along and that they were merely helping the master plan* by not drawing attention to it.

I'm not sure Apple actually ever said that the iPhone was the right size. They, well Steve, said the iPad was the right size.

Probably a number of factors gave the original iPhone its size and that may have caused other generations to keep about the same size making it easier for developers.

Personally when it comes to the iPad I think bigger is better, but not too big. The iPhone: smaller is better, but not too small.

Making a bigger iPhone AND a smaller iPad doesn't make much sense to me. A phone needs to be ultra portable. Making it bigger limits its portability, yet it's not as big as an iPad, so it doesn't get its big screen advantage. Likewise making the iPad smaller doesn't make it much more portable, but you take away its big screen and it still doesn't fit in your pocket.

No, I really don't think everyone does. Not everyone tries to make objective statements on subjective matters. Most rational people would say something along the lines of " I prefer a smaller screen size", rather than "3.5 inches is the perfect screen size for everyone who has ever existed and for all time, regardless of any future innovation". The latter is stupid, and people should be made fun of for saying similar things to hopefully point out the folly of confusing objectivity with subjectivity.

Correct. There is no single perfect screen size. The fact that people are starting to demand differentiation among phones with respect to size shows that the market is maturing. With the advent of competition in the smart phone space, users have been been exposed to larger format phones. Some significant number of them have said,"Hey, this bigger size works better for me."

Apple, like every other manufacturer, must decide which features it wishes to push in a competitive market based on anticipated returns. Will they make more money adding a size, changing the standard size or keeping things like they are?

Despite what many believe, AAPL is not watching out for the interests of anybody but AAPL. The app store is not designed to improve your app experience, it is designed to improve their bottom line. Ditto for the hardware. No unicorns, just the P & L statement. Just like every other OEM.

So, what we'll know when iPhone 5 launches is AAPL's considered opinion regarding what size phone people are most willing to pay for, not which size works best.